Understanding Moral Injury

U.S. Army photo by Spc. Brian Chaney/Released

As a service member, you may encounter inner conflicts, ethical or moral challenges during deployments, special missions, or in the course of one’s duty. You may be required to act in ways that go against your moral beliefs or witness behaviors by others that make you feel uncomfortable.1 These experiences can lead to moral injury.

This article explores the concept of moral injury, why a service member might experience it and the resources available for care and support.

What is Moral Injury?

Moral injury occurs when one experiences an act that conflicts with or violates a core moral value, or deeply held belief, and leads to an internal moral conflict. It is the betrayal of what you may feel is morally right. It might arise from your own actions or inaction, other people’s behaviors or by witnessing the suffering of others. Moral injury can occur either during or at some point after the event, and may be associated with feeling shame or guilt.1

Examples can include participation in direct or indirect actions such as:2

Killing or harming others

Witnessing death

Failing to prevent immoral acts of others

Giving or receiving orders from authority that are against one’s moral values

While there are similarities between moral injury and PTSD, moral injury involves guilt and shame while PTSD is a result of fear from a life-threatening or traumatic event. PTSD requires a diagnosis and moral conflict is not necessary for PTSD to occur. A moral injury is not established by a formal diagnosis and there is no set threshold to mark its presence. To learn more about PTSD, visit the Real Warriors Campaign article Dispelling Myths about Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Moral Injury Signs and Symptoms:

You may experience emotional and behavioral signs and symptoms after being exposed to a morally conflicting event. Responses can include:2

“Combat comes at a moral cost. The good news is that in the safety of safe, caring relationships … people can find forgiveness and healing for moral wounds. They don't have to be mortal wounds.” – Chaplain (Col.) Thomas Waynick, Pentagon Chaplain3

Moving Forward: Ways to Seek Help

After experiencing a moral injury, it is important that service members seek help. Keeping these thoughts inside or avoiding the situation can be harmful. The sooner you receive guidance, intervention, or peer and leadership feedback, the better you can avoid the burden of shame and guilt, or feeling that your actions are unforgivable.1

Health care professionals or chaplains can help you work through different strategies to counter the feelings of shame, guilt, or feelings of pain. These strategies might include:1

Processing the painful elements of the experience to discover its meaning, needs and motivations

Developing and reclaiming a sense of personal self-worth

Understanding that even if a particular act is “bad” or “wrong,” it is still possible to move forward and create a life of value

Reclaiming good parts of yourself and accepting what you did and what you saw without having it define you

Creating different goals and ways to make amends can help you reconnect with your values and to feel connected with society

Reaching out to family and friends for positive and healing relationships

Chaplains can be a source of comfort and inspiration for warriors and their families. Watch the Real Warriors Campaign video profile of Cmdr. (Chaplain) Steve Dundas who shares his story of how seeking care helped him personally.

Military chaplains support the spiritual fitness of each member assigned to their command. Chaplains are readily available to every service member at home and overseas to provide confidential counseling. While chaplains generally are not licensed counselors, they are prepared to help with various life challenges, including moral well-being. This short-term counseling is referred to as “pastoral care” and chaplains can refer service members to other counseling services for long-term counseling or therapy.4 To learn more about the role of military chaplains, read the campaign article “No Ordinary Warrior: Your Chaplain is a Frontline Resource.”

To find a chaplain near you, you can:

Walk to the nearest chapel and make an appointment or visit MilitaryINSTALLATIONS and look under the program/service “Chapels”

Real Warriors, Real Strength.

If you or a loved one is wrestling with moral injury, seek help now. Contact the Psychological Health Resource Center to confidentially speak with trained health resource consultants 24/7 by calling 866-966-1020, by using the Real Warriors Live Chat or by emailing resources@dcoeoutreach.org.